John stephenson



(No Model.)

J. STEPHENSON.

TRAM OAR SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Patented Apr. 26

ouma n hen Wuhlnginm D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FEI E.

JOHN STEPHENSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRAM-CARSIGNAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 361,904, dated April 26, 1887.

Application filed June 27, 1885. Serial No. 170,018. (No model.)

1'0 tall whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I,JoHN STEPHENSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tram-Oar Signal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

It is a rule on tramways having cars provided with conductorsthat the passengers shall communicate only with the conductor, and not with the driver; but it frequently happens that a passenger wishes to leave the car at a time when the attention of the conductor cannot be secured, when the passenger, to avoid being carried beyond his destination, ignorantly or nervously grasps the cord that moves the recording'dial, and thus makes a false record.

Many attempts have been made so to arrange the bells or other devices that passengers while seated could signal the conductor without startling the driver or horses. Small bells have been unsuccessfully tried of a pitch different from those used by the conductor for signaling the driver. Bells have also been arranged at the rears of cars for passengers to signal the conductor; but this arrangement has not proved efficacious, as the conductor is not always upon the rear platform. 'Io overcome these difficulties I have devised a signal which has proved in practical use to be most effective, and comprising the following ele ments, which may be differently constructed and arranged, viz., a car-body, a whistle, chambers in the corner pillars adapted to hold air-compressors, an air-compressor piston with a hook, eye, or knob, an operatingcord, a

pendant to the cord, and sheaves for said cord,

and which I will now describe in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a part of a tram-car illustrating the construction and arrangement of my signal. Fig. 2 is a transverse enlarged section on the line 1 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 3 4, Fig. 2.

At each corner of the car-body I place a whistle, through which air is forced from a compressor operated by passengers through the medium of hand-pulls conveniently arranged to be reached by the passengers while seated, the pistons at opposite ends of the car being preferably connected by a cord running along the verge of the ceiling.

Upon applying tension to the cord air is drawn through the whistleinto the compressor, which, upon recoil, eXpels theair through the whistle, thus advising the conductor,wherever he may be, thatapassenger calls, and the conductor thengives notice to the driver through the medium of the ordinary bell. It will be evident that, owing to the great difference in the character of the two signals, neither the driver nor the horses can be misled, while the proximity of the whistle-sounding pulls to the seats of the passengers prevent the latter from inadvertently sounding the bell.

As the signal-cords are apt to stretch, I make provision for taking up the slack by supporting the cord with a sheave-wheel at each side of each pendant, which when pulled quickly takes up the surplus cord.

It will be evident that compressors of different constructions may be used, so as to forcibly expel the air upon the operating of thependant or other equivalent device by the pas senger, and that the connections between the said operating device and the compressor may be differently constructed and arranged, and that any suitable form of whistle may be em ployed.

In the drawings I have illustrated a construction and arrangement which has proved most effective, A being the car-body; B, the whistle; O, a chamber in each of the corner pillars; F, the case of an air-compressor, E, fitting said chamber; d, apiston of the air compressor; G, the operating-cord connected to the piston through the medium of a hook, a, on the end of the cord, fitting detachably an eye upon the stem 6 of the piston; H, pendants hanging from the cord, and I I sheave guides upon opposite sides of each pen dant.

Each chamber 0 isin one of the corner pillars, J, near its head. In this chamber is secured the shell or case F of the air-compressor E, consisting of the said shell, a piston, d, pro vided with a piston-rod e, a spring, f, surrounding the stem 6, between the piston and the head of the case, and a suitable flexible packing carried by the piston.

The whistle B is covered by a perforated screen, N, and communicates with the interior of the case of the compressor E through an opening, 9, and the strap or operating-cord G extends from the stem ealong the low er verge, h, of the ceiling through suitable guides, and

the pulls H are pendent from the cord opposite each side pillar, K, the lower ends of the pulls being within convenient reach of the seated passengersf The pulls when drawn downward deflect the cord between the adjoining guides,which approximate sufficiently 1 inward by the act of the passenger, the air rushes through and sounds the whistle, so

when the piston returns by the action of the spring the'air is expelled through the whistle and again sounded, the whistle in this way having a double action.

Though the cord or strap may pass through eye-guides arranged in any suitable manner, I prefer to use two sheavewheelsupon opposite sides of each pull, as described and shown, thereby reducing the friction and taking .up the slack of the cord. Each sheave-wheel,with its housing, may be a separate construction; but Iprefer that the two wheels arranged in proximity to each pull shall be held in one housing, thereby preserving their relative condition.

I do not here claim the construction of the housing and sheave-wheel, as this forms the' claim-- sound outside of the ear, and the perforated shield covering the opening, theinner side of the whistle connecting with an air-passage, substantially as and for the purpose described:

3. A tram-car having at each corner of the car-body a signal-whistle, combined with one or more air-compressors, thetwo whistles at one side of the car at opposite corners being supplied with air by two compressors, pistons in the air-compressors, and a cord or strap or chain connecting said pistons to make both whistles sound simultaneously, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A tram-car having a signal-whistle connected with an air-compressor having a piston and piston-rod and inserted in the corner pillar of the oar-body, a spiral spri ng surrounding thepiston-rod with one end bearing against the piston-head and the other end against the cap of the air-chamber, the outer end of the piston-rod provided with an eye or hook or knob, and perforations or openings for inlet of air at the rear end of the compressor-chamher, and an opening at the other end. communicating with the whistle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 7

' 5. A tram-car signaling apparatus provided with a cord or strap connected to a suitable signal and extendingover sheaves arranged in pairs in close proximity to each other and to the window-sliles, and with pendent pulls, one pull hanging on the cord between each pair of sheaves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses. 7

g JOHN STEPHENSON. \Vitnesses:

J os. B. STEPHENSON,

STUARrA. STEPHENSON.- 

